From Bloodshed to Hope
by Hawkheart-and-Sandflower
Summary: A backstory about the present-day Clans in our book Old Friends. Is purely written by Sandflower. Disclaimer: We don't own Warriors. If we did, why would we be here?
1. Part One: The Beginning

**A/N: I decided to change this and make it three parts. DON'T WORRY! It's the same story but edited!**

**Part One: The Beginning**

_Two moons after the battle with the Dark Forest…_

Bramblestar stood on the Great Oak with Mistystar, Blackstar, and Onestar. Silently, he lamented the deaths. Dustpelt, Squirrelflight, and so many more. He sucked in another sharp breath as he remembered Firestar. StarClan, why did Firestar have to be the fourth cat in the prophecy? He sighed.

Scanning the Clan cats below him, he saw many had a gaunt scared look about them, as if they thought the Dark Forest was about to attack them again. They shakily exchanged tongues and some merely crouched low and hissed at whoever approached them.

"Bramblestar? Bramblestar? Hello?" Bramblestar shook his head, clearing it of the nasty thoughts that roiled it. "It's your turn to recount who's died," said Mistystar.

He took a deep breath. Bramblestar edged along his branch until he could see the Clans more clearly, and they could hear him better. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. His mouth was suddenly dry. Good grief, what was he to do? Bramblestar gave his chest a quick lick and gripped the branch beneath him.

"Cats of all Clans! Why do we continue to be Clans if we have nothing to live for? Many cats have been lost, others injured, and some who will never recover from the shock of what they witnessed. Why are we still Clans? There is nothing left for us. Even the warrior code is nothing," he screeched. Many cats cried out it outrage. Some stared at him, their open mouths almost touching the ground.

"Who does he think he is?"

"Just because there was a prophecy about cats in his clans, does he think he can order us around?"

"IDIOT!"

Bramblestar continued, despite all the words thrown at him. His amber eyes, like a blazing fire, looked down at the gathered cats.

"Even StarClan has abandoned us! They hardly helped us in the battle! Who cares about us now?"

Bramblestar held his head defiantly. He truly believed that StarClan had done nothing for them. They were just spirits. He gazed out at the crowd of seething cats.

Then a crystal clear voice called out, "I agree!" Everyone turned to stare at the cat who had said that. It was Brackenfur from ThunderClan. Brackenfur gave the rest of the cats a look of contempt. Gradually, a few cats gained looks of realization as they figured out he was serious and that Bramblestar was actually right. It seemed that about half of all the Clans were with Bramblestar.

"You can't be serious!" spat Mistystar. She hissed and prepared to pounce.

"What type of leader are you!" screeched Onestar as he too sided with Mistystar. They looked at Blackstar, their angry faces holding the slightest bit of hopefulness.

"I feel he is correct," murmured Blackstar. Mistystar and Onestar looked at him, shocked.

"If you continue to believe in this nonsense, then you are no longer a Clan cat. Clan cats follow the warrior code and believe in StarClan!" Onestar coldy hissed.

"I uphold my decision," said Bramblestar. The entire gathering was silent, the air crackling with tension. A few crickets chirped. One cat moved his paw. Then it was mayhem.


	2. Part Two: The Battle

**Part Two: The Battle**

Yowls and screeches roiled the air as cat fought against cat. Crimson blood splattered the grass, fur flew across the clearing. Body after body fell to the ground, never to get up again? Claws were used freely. Eyes were gouged, limbs rendered to the point of no use, necks slit with no care in the world. No one was safe.

Even Bramblestar leapt down from the Great Oak, and hurled himself into the battle. He helped his Clan. Apprentices slashed and kicked as bravely as they could, and warriors fought to protect elders. Even the leaders lost many lives.

Bramblestar died of a broken neck. Mistystar lost all of her lives as a ShadowClan cat pierced her stomach and kept cutting it. Blackstar died of wounds to terrible to speak of. In the end, standing amongst the dead, bloody bodies of their Clan-mates, littermates, and den-mates, four bedraggled cats were left.

They knew they had to stop fighting, or the Clans would never rise again. The four cats were called Feathertail, who was a light gray scruffy tom with amber eyes, Lakesong, a black she-cat with white paws and blue eyes that glistened in the moonlight, Nightwhisper, a brown and cream tom that had friendly green eyes, and Cloudtail, a very familiar white tom with blue eyes. They all looked at each other. Then Cloudtail spoke, "Do we still want to kill?"

Feathertail spit, "D'you think?" Lakesong opened her mouth to hiss out a retort but was cut off as a cat appeared out of thin air. This cat had shiny stars in her pelt, and her amber gaze swept over the four, huddled together, fighting not with claws but with words.

"Hello. My name is Spiritleaf. You are some of the last Clan cats in this world."

"Yeah, right! Why in bloody Dark Forest would you appear now? After all our Clan mates are DEAD!" demanded Nightwhisper.

"Oh, it's ok. It was predicted that the Clans would be lost and that four new Clans would arise. You are to become the leaders of four new Clans, FeatherClan, NightClan, CloudClan, and LakeClan. Even StarClan is starting anew, renaming ourselves SpiritClan," she airily said.

"So that's nice and all, but why?" asked Nightwhisper.

"That I cannot answer," repliedSpiritleaf sadly.

Feathertail, Lakesong, Cloudtail, and Nightwhisper glanced at each other. They all knew that for the Clans to be rebuilt, it would take ages. They knew that they were up to the challenge. Feathertail wanted to rebuild WindClan as a better Clan, one that was run more efficiently. Nightwhisper knew he wanted ShadowClan to become a respected Clan, not one that was feared. It would be a new start.

Yet, they couldn't forget the bodies that lay about them. Friends, family, all that could not be replaced. Finally, with a deep sigh, Lakesong said, "I think we'll all do it."

"Brilliant!" smiled Spiritleaf. Then more SpiritClan cats appeared. Many cats were there. When everyone was settled down, the ceremony started. First was Feathertail. After what seemed like moons, Nightwhisper padded up. Then Cloudtail and Lakesong.

The new leaders sat together. FeatherClan, NightClan, CloudClan, and LakeClan would become the new Clans, stronger than before.


	3. Part Three: The Prophecy

**Part Three: The Prophecy**

The new leaders stood up. Their fur seemed to crackle with energy and almost glowed with light.

"Go now, rebuild the clans. Make them as you see fit, choose a new spot for territory. We give you our blessing," SpiritClan proclaimed. The leaders nodded, ready to start anew.

**XXSEASONS LATERXX**

Cloudstar flicked his tail as he shakily settled down into his nest. He coughed and wheezed, for he had green cough. His blue eyes were milky and his head lolled to one side. Brightwing padded in and dropped some catmint from their limited supply. The Clans had been restored, though they were still quite small. They had settled into a little forest with some rivers. Each Clan had claimed their territory.

"Really, you need to eat this," scowled Brightwing. She was the new medicine cat, named after Brightheart. Cloudstar saddened at the thought of her. He missed her deeply, but he would soon join her in SpiritClan because Cloudstar was on his last life.

He pushed the catmint away and hoarsely meowed, "Save it for the cats that need it the most. Brightwing sighed and left him to peacefully sleep. When she came in a little later to try and persuade Cloudstar to eat the catmint, Brightwing discovered that to her horror, Cloudstar's fur was as cold as the ice his fur looked like, and there was no heartbeat. He had finally joined SpiritClan.

She wailed, and collapsed on his body. Despite her efforts, the fragile, old leader was gone. She stumbled away and made her way to the rock CloudClan had been using for announcements.

"Let all cats old enough to hunt gather around this rock, for I have something to say," she cats sat around and looked at her expectantly. The sick cats peeked out from the medicine cat den.

"Cloudstar is dead." Wails of disbelief and cries of sadness echoed through the camp. The first leader was dead. When nightfall came the Clan sat vigil for him. Acornstar was now leader of CloudClan. He was kind and thoughtful. As Brightwing helped the two elders, Grassear and Lilysong, carry Cloudstar's body, she wondered what would happen. Would the Clans, fragile as they were, survive? She pondered this and much more as Cloudstar's body was placed in his grave.

She closed her green eyes and opened them. She was in complete darkness. Wails peeled through the air and mist wreathed around her, forming itself into the shape of a black cat with one white paw. He had a snarl on his face and looked so terrifying she nearly fainted. Brightwing heard voices and tried to find them but she was locked in position. The voices crept ever nearer, whispering and chanting.

Brightwing screamed in terror as blood began pouring like a river around her. Bodies floated in it, their mouths moving but never saying a word. Riding it was the black cat she'd seen earlier, an evil grin atop his face. Brightwing watched as he turned toward her and leapt. In that split second before he left the ground, time seemed to slow and Brightwing heard a crystal clear voice utter words.

_"Four will come,_  
_Hawk, Night, Sand, and Branch,_  
_To unite the Clans with Peace,_  
_Against the darkness to come."_

Four cats were huddled against the tirade of crimson liquid. They seemed to be able to move even though Brightwing couldn't. One was a black she-cat with stunning green eyes. _Nightpaw_, a voice whispered. Two others, a cream she-cat, also with green eyes and a light brown tom with blazing amber eyes. _Sandpaw and Branchpaw_, the voice whispered again. The last one, a tan she-cat with brown spots, white paws, and multicolored eyes squished in further. _Hawkpaw_, the voice uttered again.

A brilliant white light, so bright Brightwing closed her eyes, flashed and the blood, the cats and the wailing vanished. A single, white kit stood on a rock overlooking the entire forest, determination set on her tiny face. Then everything disappeared in the blink of an eye.


End file.
